Surprise! Consumers Like Ads that Mock Them

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Summary

Will an ad that makes fun of the very consumers it targets offend or appeal to them? So-called “audience-targeted negative advertisements” (ATNAs) are the subject of new research that examines ATNAs through the lens of empathy. It also tests their effectiveness for promoting low- and high-status products.

Author bios:

Hongjie Sun (sunhongjie@hainanu.edu.cn) is a Professor of Marketing at the Management School, Hainan University, China. His research interests and publications focus on consumer behavior, the decision-making process, green marketing and tourism management.

Yong (Eddie) Luo (e.luo@kent.ac.uk) is an Assistant Professor of marketing at Kent Business School, University of Kent, U.K. His research interests include consumer psychology/behavior, marketing communications, and technology/product innovation.

Feifei Liu (15610114568@163.com) is an Assistant Lecturer at Shandong Vocational University of Foreign Affairs, China. Her research interests include consumer behavior and consumer psychology.

Ben Lowe (b.lowe@kent.ac.uk) is Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean for Global Engagement and Recruitment at Kent Business School, University of Kent. His research is based around consumer behavior. He has published widely in this area with a specific focus around innovation adoption, pricing, sustainable consumption and the use of technology to help consumers make better decisions.